I have been overwhelmed by all the tourist traps in Beijing, I know its the capital and it is Olympic year, so of course there are lots of touristy places, but does anybody have any recommendations of what to do besides Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, etc.
I am really interested in visiting a Chinese village and seeing rural China or climbing some rural parts of the Great Wall near Beijing. If anybody has any suggestions please let me know. Thanks so much!
Reply to this hey you, i just got back from a trip to beijing. it was fun fun and fun! i stayed with a local family instead of the hotel. the family was just amazing. i had the opportunity to learn some mandarin, chinese cooking, tea ceremony, calligraphy and almost anything you could think of about the chinese culture.
the family even drove me to all the famous places and less famous ones (huairou, miyun and shi du). there is this temple in huairou where you have to hike up. since they are local beijing folks, they knew about the best eats in town cheap and tasty!
i'd recommend this family to you if you are interested. i think my entire trip to beijing (exclusive of air tickets) was under EURO 350 for the whole 7 days and i didn't have to worry about a single thing.
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Reply to this There are many places worth going near beijing , such like Chuandixia Village. it's located 90km (55m) west of Beijing, the mountain village has a history. It's really a totally different world comparing with places like Wangfujing Commercial Street. few visitors went there coz' it's a little bit far from the city. however, i think it should be nice for those who wanna make a difference.
Reply to this Check out Beijing Hikers Club. They go to off-the-beaten-path places to hike, including remote parts of the Great Wall.
Da Jai Men restaurant is very neat. Traditional performances while you eat, and surprisingly, not very touristy.
Ethnic Culture Park usually has something going on, and can be interesting.
If you want an authentic experience, go with a group to KTV and sing some karaoke.
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